Birth stories: Nymphadora Tonks
by zimra
Summary: When Remus is in transformation the night that Tonks goes into labor, who will help her through the contractions? A story about the birth of Teddy Lupin. The second in my serie of birth stories.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: When Remus is in transformation the night that Tonks goes into labor, who will help her through the contractions? A story about the birth of Teddy Lupin.

Disclaimer: Not mine, all characters belong to JK Rowling.

This is my second story in a serie of birth stories about several characters giving birth. My first story about Ginny giving birth to Lily you can find under the title "Did you ever wonder". I'm a slow writer, first because I try to write with care and eye for detail, second because I have a 11 month old daugther who takes up a lot of my time. I'll do my best to update soon, but please bear with me! Also, I'm not a native english speaker so I might make some mistakes, feel free to point them out.

Hope you enjoy the story, please let me know!

love, Zimra.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

The evening was chilly and wet and despite the season of late April, spring seemed far away. Tonks didn't mind though, for the kitchen of the Burrow was cozy with candles spreading a soft light and warmth emanating from the stove.

She wrapped one hand around her warm tea-mug and let the other rest on top of her pregnant belly. Immediately she felt a little nudge from inside. She smiled and moved her hand to the side of her belly. The baby followed her hand and nudged it again. It was one of her favorite pass-times lately, playing the nudging game with her unborn child. At night in bed Remus would join in as well. They were both so curious about the baby, they could hardly wait for it to be born. It could be any day now, at 38 weeks Tonks looked ready to pop.

Her duties for the Order at this point only consisted of being present at their weekly meetings. Something she didn't have to do, but it made her feel like she was still taking part in the resistance to Voldemort, and she liked that feeling. Occasionally she still came up with an idea for the Potterwatch broadcast, which she created for a large part together with Fred and George Weasley. But the last few weeks her mind seemed befuddled by hormones and she found herself more often playing the nudging game or fantasizing about the baby instead of paying attention to the meeting.

She let her eyes wander through the kitchen were the other Order members were deeply immersed in their conversation. Kingsley Shacklebold at the head of the table, accompanied today by Dedalus Diggle, Hestia Jones, Lee Jordan and Arthur Weasley. The composition of the group varied as some members were elsewhere occupied or sometimes on a mission for the order. Such as Fred and George who had joined Charlie Weasley in his task to find support for their anti-Voldemort movement abroad and Molly Weasley was spending a few days at their aunt Muriels where Ginny was staying.

Remus was also missing, as he had had his transformation last night. With Snape gone from the Order, he had no longer access to the wolfsbane potion and therefore needed to go to some remote place to transform. Tonks didn't like the idea of him running around somewhere on his own, but Remus had been firm: she couldn't know where he was going, so she couldn't come after him and risk harming herself or the baby. He usually stayed away for 24 hours, then returned exhausted. Last night before leaving, he had been anxious. What if she went into labor while he was away? Tonks had done her best to calm him down. She felt completely fine, with no signs of labor whatsoever and first babies usually came after the 40th week of pregnancy. She didn't tell Remus that she was anxious as well, because there simply was no alternative. Remus couldn't stay around when transforming, so he would have to go.

Last night, alone in bed, she had been wide awake, highly aware of every little twinge in her body. Was it the baby moving? Was that a cramp? Could it be a contraction? She knew she drove herself nuts, but she couldn't help it. At dawn she finally dozed off and slept till noon. But it wasn't until now, seated in the kitchen of the Burrow surrounded by friends after a hearty dinner, that she finally felt relaxed. Remus would return in a couple of hours, and tonight in bed she could once again snuggle up beside him.

The baby shifted position thus creating pressure on her bladder. Tonks excused herself to go to the toilet and upon returning tried to make herself comfortable again on her chair. That wasn't easy because her back was bothering her. The dull ache reminded her somewhat of a very mild period pain. To keep her mind off the sensation she tried following the conversation of the meeting for a couple of minutes. But is was no good, she had missed too much of the meeting already to understand the point of the discussion.

Luckily for her, they were nearly done and after another ten minutes Kingsley rose to his feet to indicate that the meeting was over. While the others gathered their things and bade their goodbyes Tonks stretched her back, wincing slightly.

"Are you okay?" Kingsley addressed her in his deep voice.

"I'm fine. Just a little backache, not surprising though, with this load I'm carrying around."

"You should try to alternate between standing, sitting and lying down. Variation in positions is the best for your body at this moment." Hestia Jones added.

Hestia was a trained Healer and, although obstetrics wasn't her specialty, had been providing Tonks with al sorts of advice during her pregnancy. Tonks was grateful for that, because with her being a known order-member and married to a known werewolf, it was way too dangerous to just walk into St Mungo's for a prenatal visit. That also meant that they had needed to make a plan for the birth and what to do for medical assistance. It was arranged that Hestia and Molly would help Tonks give birth at Remus and Tonks' own home. The former because of her medical background and the latter off course because she had experienced childbirth several times herself. In case of an emergency they would disguise Tonks and themselves with a couple of appearance changing spells and take her to St Mungo's where she would be registered under the fake identity of a foreign cousin going into labor while on a family visit.

They had had quite a laugh when working out the details of their plan and memorizing their fake names and backgrounds. Although she completely agreed to the necessity of a plan, Tonks felt confident that they wouldn't need it. She trusted in Molly and Hestia's combined experience and with her pregnancy progressing without any complications she also had confidence in her own body.

"Arthur, thanks for the meal. We'll keep in touch for our next meeting. Tonks, take care and let us know if we can do anything for you." Kingsley en Hestia went out of the front door and disappeared after Lee and Dedalus.

"Yes, thank you for dinner, Arthur." Tonks stretched once more and yawned. "I should go too, but its really comfy and warm in here."

"By all means, you're welcome to stay a little longer. Molly planned to stay at Muriels overnight so I'm on my own and don't mind some company."

"Well, in that case I'll stay for some more tea. I expect Remus to come home late and I'm not really in the mood for being home alone this evening."

Tonks treated herself to an extra pillow for her aching back while Arthur made them both a fresh cup of tea. She had always liked Arthur, straight from the moment that she first met him as the father of Charlie Weasley, her friend and classmate at Hogwarts. He was one of the very few people that she didn't mind using her given name. Arthur reminded her of her own father, usually calm and reliable, though fierce and protective towards anyone who touched his family.

It hurt to think of her own father. Three months after his death she missed him more than ever. He had been so happy when she announced her pregnancy and even more so when she and Remus made up. She had once voiced her concerns about bringing a child in this world of war and danger. Ted Tonks had responded by assuring her that he, and with him a lot of people, would do everything in his power to make the world a better place for his grandchild to live in. He had kissed her on the brow and vowed to keep them safe. A week later he had left home to do exactly that. And now he would never see his grandchild.

Arthurs hand on her shoulder broke her somber train of thoughts. As he placed a steaming mug in front of her, he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"He would have been proud of you, Nympadora."

It was enough to make the tears fall. Arthur said nothing, just kept his warm hand on her shoulder. After a minute or so, Tonks blew her nose.

"Thanks. I'm sorry. Ruddy hormones…" she gave him a watery smile.

"No problem. You could say I have some experience with pregnancy hormones. Do you perhaps care for a slice of Molly's apple pie or a game of chess? Or both?" Blue eyes and a freckled face smiled at her warmly.

"Both would be nice."

* * *

Liked it? Hated it? Comments? Please let me know!

Love, Zimra.


	2. Chapter 2

Second chapter, hope you like it. :)

PixiePatronus13675: Thank you for your reviews, on my other stories as well! Your suggestions are always welcome! As for Tonks focusing on her conflicting emotions... well, she won't have a lot of time to do that, as you'll see :)

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

"Check".

"Bloody hell, not again. Wait, I'll move my castle. Can't have you win the second game as well." Tonks moved her piece and rubbed her back for maybe the tenth time that evening, wincing slightly.

"We could also quit playing? If your back is bothering you and you want to go home?"

"No, I'd rather keep playing. Gives me some distraction. The last thing I need is to go home and focus on every little twinge."

"Okay. In that case, I move my knight."

Tonks stared at the chessboard while her back ached again. She found it hard to focus on their game but was determined not to let Arthur win again. She really didn't want to go home, where it was cold and she had to wait for Remus all by herself. The kitchen of the Burrow and Arthurs presence made her feel comfortable and secure. But at the same time she was becoming oddly restless. Her back kept hurting and the apple pie she'd had was not sitting well in her stomach, making her a bit queasy.

She adjusted the position of her pillows again, turning slightly in her chair. She saw Arthur glance at her again, he had offered to move to the couch to be more comfortably half a dozen times already. But it wasn't the chair that was bothering her, it was something else, though she wasn't sure what is was.

Tonks decided to ignore the restless feeling and did her best to ignore the next twinge in her back. Peering at the chessboard she tried to figure out her next move.

Suddenly a wave of nausea rose up inside her stomach. Tonks knew immediately that this feeling couldn't be ignored as she felt the bile rise in her throat.

Frantically pushing her chair back she decided she'd never make it to the toilet in the hallway. She thus made a beeline for the kitchen sink where she retched up the apple pie, her dinner and seemingly everything else that she ate the past week. Between bouts of vomiting she felt Arthur holding her hair back, which made her feel very embarrassed and grateful at the same time. When her stomach finally stopped heaving and she had a chance to catch her breath, her back hurt again.

But this time the sensation wasn't only in her back. Her whole belly cramped and became rock-hard while Tonks felt something that she could only describe as a period-pain times thousand. She bent double on the spot, clutching her stomach and holding her breath while the pain rolled over her like a monstrous wave. After some twenty seconds, the wave gradually subsided, leaving Tonks gasping for air and shaking on her feet.

"Are you ok?" Arthur had his arm around her shoulders to steady her.

It took a moment before Tonks could catch her breath, straighten up and respond.

"That bloody hurt!" Still feeling shaky, she leaned on the countertop for support, grimacing at the sight and smell of a sink full of her own vomit.

"Do you feel like you're gonna be sick again?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Then have a seat, you're shaking."

Arthur gently led her back to her chair and their abandoned game of chess, then took out his wand to clean the sink.

Tonks was starting to feel more embarrassed by the minute.

"I'm really sorry! I have no idea where that came from. One minute I felt fine and the next… and that weird cramp. Maybe I ate something wrong."

Arthur turned to look at her with disbelief showing on his face.

"Nymphadora, I really don't think that it was something you ate…"

A blush crept up Tonks' cheeks. First she barfed in the poor man's kitchen sink while he gallantly held her hair back and then she almost accused him of giving her food poisoning.

"Oh, but I didn't mean anything that I ate here for dinner! I know you or Molly would never cook anything that would make people sick. I just probably ate some spoiled yoghurt from my own fridge earlier today. I didn't mean to offend you!"

To her surprise Arthur chuckled quietly.

"You didn't offend me, dear. But frankly, I think there is something else going on here…"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, Nymphadora, I think you're in labor."

Now it was Tonks turn to stare in disbelief. No, she couldn't… Could she? Really?

"You think that cramp was a… a contraction?"

"I'm quite sure. And the fact that you just threw up also is a sign of being in labor."

And as if on cue she felt the cramping pain start in her back again and spread out over her abdomen, like a huge iron fist squeezing her whole body. Blimey, Arthur was right, this had to be a contraction. And it freaking HURT! She was going to give birth. Remus had to come back and help her. She would have to endure this for Merlin-knows how long, this was just the beginning.

All this thoughts and then some tumbled through Tonks' mind as the pain seared through her. She found herself holding her breath and gasping for air while the contraction slowly subsided.

"Easy there, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth."

Tonks did as told and after a few breaths her mind cleared considerably.

"Okay. Wow. I'm in labor. But this is just the beginning, right? Do you think I should already contact Hestia and Molly or should I wait a while? Maybe I should go home and wait for Remus. Because the first stages of labor can take hours, said Hestia."

She had barely said her last words when another contraction began to build. It was even more painful than the previous ones. Tonks eyes started to water from the pain and she found herself clutching the table and hyperventilating.

"Breathe, Nymphadora. Short puffs blowing out, come on." Arthur knelt in front of her and grabbed one of her hands. She squeezed it until her knuckles where white, while he took a deep breath and blew it out in short bursts, showing her what to do. The pain gripped her harder still and she struggled to follow his example.

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Comments? Please let me know!

love, Zimra


	3. Chapter 3

Hi there, a new chapter, hope you'll like it.

From here on and in the chapters to come, there will be some description of the process of childbirth. I'm a midwife, I like to describe this with reality. If you find that offensive or disturbing in any way, just don't read it.

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

The contraction seemed to go on forever and Tonks felt lightheaded. The only things that kept her from drowning in the pain were Arthurs hand that she clutched and his blue eyes locked on to hers.

At last the pain subsided but Tonks found herself shaking and still breathing very shallow.

"Easy there, in through your nose and out through your mouth Nympadora."

Guiding her, Arthur managed to calm her down a bit so she could take a few deep breaths, although she continued to shake.

"Whoah! This bloody well hurts! If this is only the beginning I'm not sure I can do this…"

Tonks felt the beginning of panic creeping towards her. She was having the baby. But Remus was still away. Okay, it would probably take hours before the actual birth so Remus would most likely be back in time, but he wasn't here to help her now. They were supposed to do this together, she couldn't do it alone. Merlin, if this was only the beginning she doubted she could do it at all! And what if something went wrong? The whole plan with Molly and Hestia helping her, even their back-up-plan for going to the hospital, all of a sudden it felt unbelievably stupid and reckless.

"I can't do this. I'm not ready. It's madness, were in the middle of a war and there's a price on my head and Remus is in transformation and what if-"

She was cut off by the next contraction. Panic now really flooded her, causing her to start hyperventilating again and simultaneously cry out in pain while clutching at Arthurs hand.

He guided her again, telling her to breath and when the contraction was over and she was sobbing hysterically he quite firmly took her face in his hands.

"Nymphadora, look at me".

She did, and somehow calmed a bit.

"You can do this. I know you can. And yes, were in the middle of a war but you will still have this baby and everything will be alright. I'm going to send messages to Molly and Hestia to come over here and to Kingsley so he can find Remus and bring him back as soon as possible. In the mean time I need you to try and focus on your breathing, it will help with the pain, trust me."

"But shouldn't I go home? I'm going to give birth at our home. We have all this stuff ready that Hestia told us to. And Remus will come straight home after the transformation, I really should go home!"

"I'm not going to let you go home like this, dear. First lets Hestia get you checked out and we'll make a plan from there."

Tonks wanted to protest but was distracted by another contraction. Arthur breathed with her, which helped quite a lot but also reminded her of the book about breathing exercises for labor that Remus had spelled front to back as he had promised her he'd help her through everything.

"He was supposed to be with me, we practiced breathing together." She said as soon as she was able to speak. "And now he's somewhere remote, exhausted no doubt after his transformation and I really can't do this by myself. I can't remember a single breathing-exercise!" Tears threatened to spill again.

"Don't worry love, you will do just fine. In fact, you are already doing it. And every woman forgets how to breathe once labor really starts, at least Molly did, every single time. If I may say so, after six times I'm well versed in helping a laboring woman breathe through the contractions. I'll help you out until Remus is here."

Tonks realized that this was undoubtedly true, if anyone could help her through labor it was Arthur Weasley. The thought made her want to chuckle but she only managed a small but grateful smile.

She'd be ok. Remus and Molly and Hestia would come soon and it would all be ok, and until then she trusted Arthur to help her.

She watched Arthur send several messages in patronus-form towards Molly, Hestia and Kingsley while she tried her best to breathe away the next contraction and not to cry out in pain.

Arthur quickly came back to breathe with her again.

"So what do we do now?" Tonks asked once she was able to catch her breath.

"We just wait." Arthur said calmly. "You're doing great. Try to remember that every contraction brings you closer to having your baby, Molly always felt it helped her when focusing on that rather than focusing on the pain."

At first Tonks felt a bit weird and awkward, taking her former classmate's fathers advice while in labor. But upon trying she felt he was right, it did help. So when Arthur suggested she move around a bit and try to deal with the contractions in varying positions she followed his advice without question.

Soon they came into a sort of rhythm. Tonks moving, rocking and breathing through each contraction while Arthur alternated between holding her hand and giving pressure on her lower back which felt surprisingly good. In between contractions she would lean on the table or countertop, resting her head in her hands and he would softly stroke her back, occasionally offering a sip of water.

After what felt like hours of one contraction after another, Tonks glanced at the clock to see that a mere half hour had passed.

"Why aren't they here yet?" Concern was invading the calm feeling of the past twenty minutes.

"Kingsley got my message alright, he's looking for Remus at this moment. Hestia did't immediately respond which is not surprising as she had a shift on her regular job and we've set up a security system where our patronuses can't appear in public, thus giving away any connections to the order. She'll get it as soon as she's alone, King said he'd keep sending her messages. And as for Molly, I forgot that Muriel, being a paranoid old hag, has made her house impervious to all sorts of spells including patronuses. I've sent her the message via her communication coin she carries as a backup, she's bound to notice it soon."

Sensing her distress, Arthur made a soothing gesture. "They will be here in time, dear. Having a baby takes hours. At least, having a first baby does."

He had barely spoken when Tonks felt a strange 'pop' immediately followed by a warm wetness soaking her pants. For a second she thought she had wet herself and felt her face grow hot with embarrassment. Then she looked down at her soaked pants and the puddle she was making on the kitchen floor and realized it was her water breaking. Arthur looked down as well, a bit surprised but with a smile.

"That was bound to happen any time. Means your labor is progressing, a good sign real-"

The rest of his words were lost to her as she was overcome with a pain so intense it made all the previous contractions pale in comparison.

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Comments? Please let me know!

love, Zimra


	4. Chapter 4

Hi there, I'm so sorry for the long wait!

I've been on vacation and been quite sick the past few weeks, hence the delay. In fact, both my husband and I were sick with the stomach flu on our vacation... It was quite an eh.. intense experience, which I'll probably use some time for a story ;)

But for now, here's a new chapter, hope you'll like it.

Warning: From here on and in the chapters to come, there will be some description of the process of childbirth. I'm a midwife, I like to describe this with reality. If you find that offensive or disturbing in any way, just don't read it.

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

The rest of his words were lost to her as she was overcome with a pain so intense it made all the previous contractions pale in comparison.

Doubling up, she clung onto Arthur for dear life, wanting to shout but not being able to draw breath as she felt her stomach, no her whole body contract in a way that she would not have thought possible. She felt an unbearable urge to push, so strong that before she knew it, her body was pushing involuntarily and she felt the baby inside her actually shift.

After a minute, the feeling subsided and Tonks came to her senses, panting from the force of the contraction. Arthur was still holding her upright. Tonks noticed that he looked pale, which made his freckles stand out. Hhe looked at her with a smile that was obviously meant to be reassuring but couldn't completely hide his nervousness. Nevertheless, when he spoke, his voice was steady.

"Okay, I think you're going a bit faster than we thought. You just felt the urge to push, right?"

Tonks could only stare at him and nod.

"Well, that's fine. Every baby comes in its own time, yours is just a bit impatient. It will be alright, a quick birth is usually an easy birth. Let me just make some quick arrangements here, we are going to need some towels, cushions for you to lie down on and something to wrap the baby in and keep it warm. I think we best stay in the kitchen, it's nice and warm here, the living is too drafty."

"But we…do you… you mean… I'm going to have the baby here?" Tonks finally found her voice. "But Hestia and Molly are not here yet. And Remus. Can't we just wait for them? I won't push, we can just wait, we have to wait for them!"

"Love, I don't think the baby will wait. There comes a phase when a woman in labor just cannot NOT push, her body will start pushing when its ready. I think you already felt that."

As if on cue, Tonks felt another contraction coming over her, with again the unbearable need to push. She tried, really tried not to give in but again, her body was pushing on its own, her uterus forcing the baby downwards with unimaginable strength.

When the contraction was over Tonks knew beyond a doubt that Arthur was right, this baby was coming and it was coming fast. The realization sent her in a state of sheer panic.

"I can't do this! Not on my own! I don't know anything about giving birth! Hestia and Molly are supposed to be here! They said they would tell me what to do! I don't know what to do! I really don't!" she wailed while waddling back and forth in the kitchen.

Arthur positioned himself in front of her and placed his hands upon her shoulders.

"Nymphdora, listen. You can do this and you will do this. You won't have to do it alone, I am going to help you. I've seen Molly give birth seven times, and actually with both Ron and Ginny it went so fast that they were born without a healer or midwife being present. So I really do have some experience in this field."

"Really?"

"Yes. Ron was born in the front seat of our Ford Anglia just outside St. Mungo's. And with Ginny we didn't even bother to try and reach the hospital. Molly barely laid down on the couch and I was just able to catch Ginny when she came out."

"Wow."

"You can say that again. If there's one thing I learned from those experiences it's that a woman in that situation knows instinctively what to do. And even if she doesn't, her body does. And the baby does too. So really, whether or not Hestia and Molly are going to be here in time, it doesn't matter. Trust me."

Tonks took a deep breath and decided that she indeed had no other choice than to trust him. She felt the next contraction coming on.

"Okay, what do I do?"

"Do what your body tells you to do. If you have to push, you push. Don't be scared."

Tonks closed her eyes as the urge impended upon her and this time she gave in to the feeling and pushed down. Her knees buckled a bit and she felt Arthur supporting some of her weight. She instinctively held her breath and as she ran out of oxygen she exhaled. It felt weirdly good to push, so different than just trying to withstand the pain. It gave her a little bit of confidence. When the contraction was over she looked up at Arthur who was smiling at her.

"Brilliant. That's the spirit! Now let me quickly get things ready. You might want to take off those soaked pants. They can't be comfortable and eh…well, we can't have them blocking the ehm… exit."

He blushed a little, which made Tonks chuckle involuntarily. At any other time, taking her pants of in front of Arthur Weasley would have made her uncomfortable, but at the moment she found that she couldn't care less. Whatever it took to get this baby out, she would do it. So she removed her sodden pants and her knickers as well. Luckily she was wearing a maternity tunic which fell almost to her knees and made her feel less exposed.

Meanwhile Arthur had summoned a mattress and several cushions and with a quick 'impervious' made sure they were protected against any bodily fluids that he knew to be normal during delivery. He then poked up the stove and placed a stack of towels and some cotton cloths beside it to warm them up.

He was just ready when the next contraction came. Tonks this time pushed along with growing confidence, instinctively crouching down on the mattress and opening her legs wide.

"That's it. You're doing great. Don't hold back, you can do this."

When it subsided she laid back on the pile of cushions, panting slightly from the effort.

Arthur summoned a wet washcloth to ran over her sweaty brow. Neither of them said anything until the next contraction came, during which Arthur encouraged her again.

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Comments?

Please let me know!

Love, Zimra


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone,

Thank you for the reviews! And I'm sorry that this update took a little longer than expected. Well, with a one-year-old there is just too little time to write... But not to worry, here's a new chapter, hope you like it!

Warning: Description of childbirth in this chapter. If you don't like it, don't read it.

* * *

Chapter 5

Soon Tonks found that the world outside just stopped to exist. All her worries and fears about the baby or about neither Remus nor Hestia or Molly being present were completely gone from her mind. Her world solely consisted of the warm, dimly lit kitchen, and Arthurs encouraging voice. She lost sense of time, didn't know whether she had pushed for ten minutes or several hours when she suddenly felt the baby's head descend down into her birth canal.

It startled her and her eyes flew open.

"I feel it coming." She managed through gritted teeth.

At this, Arthur for the first time glanced down between her legs.

"Indeed. I can see some hair." He gave her a broad smile. "Won't be long now, Nymphadora."

The next contraction she felt the head coming further down, accompanied by a strong, burning pain.

"It burns."

"That's normal dear, now try push more gentle. It's better if it goes slow, giving your muscles time to stretch. I'll tell you when to stop pushing."

The next contraction came and as Tonks pushed the burning sensation became nearly unbearable. Her eyes locked on Arthur who was knelt in front of her, guiding her with his voice.

She was vaguely aware that somewhere in her field of vison, behind Arthur's back, the kitchen door opened. She thought she saw people coming in but couldn't be sure, because when she blinked her eyes there was no one there but Arthur, who looked up and locked eyes with her.

"Now stop pushing, Nymphdora. The head is nearly out. On the next contraction you push and then your baby will be born. But now you don't push, you breathe."

As if possessed by some supernatural force, Tonks found herself panting and not pushing while between her legs it felt as if she was being ripped apart. Arthur's blue eyes were the only thing she held onto.

Then came the next contraction and she felt her body push and she pushed with it. She felt like the bones of her pelvis went apart and like her muscles ripped and then she felt her baby's body shoot out from between her legs followed by immense relieve.

She looked down and saw a tiny, wet baby, caught safely in Arthurs hands. He held it up and handed it to her. Tonks clamped the baby to her chest, just as it let out a hearty wail.

She felt Arthur gently lower her down on the cushions and cover the baby on her chest with a warm cloth.

"Congratulations, well done, Nymphadora." He said softly.

"Thank you", she whispered, not taking her eyes of the writhing baby, her baby. "Thank you so much. I couldn't have- Thank you."

"Well done, you both!" came a new voice, and Tonks looked up to see Hestia bending over them.

And behind Hestia, she saw a very pale and worried looking Remus rushing towards her. Within seconds, his arms were around her and the baby, his face so close to hers she could see the tears falling on his cheeks. He couldn't speak but his loving eyes said everything. Then he kissed her and the baby, and she kissed him back and someone in the room asked if it was a boy or a girl, and Tonks found herself thinking that it didn't matter, it was their baby. But then Remus lifted the cloth and they saw that it was a boy. My son, Tonks thought, off course you're my son. And by looking at Remus she knew that they both immediately knew his name.

"Ted Remus Lupin" she whispered.

"Our little Teddy" Remus whispered back.

* * *

Like it? Hate it? Comments? Let me know!

Oh, and just like childbirth, it isn't finished yet when the baby is out ;) I plan on writing at least two more chapters.

love, Zimra


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you again for the reviews! :)

* * *

Chapter 6

Looking back, Tonks could only vaguely remember the flurry of activities that followed.

Remus cutting the umbilical cord. Hestia delivering the placenta and checking her for any tears that needed mending. There weren't any and Hestia said that was probably due to the fact that she had not pushed on that last contraction, as Arthur had correctly advised her. Molly, whom she hadn't noticed being in the room until then, cleaned her up a bit and then covered her with a blanket and made sure she laid comfortably on the couch.

It transpired that Hestia, Molly, Remus and Kingsley had all arrived at the Burrow at the same moment. When Hestia had opened the kitchen door, she saw that the baby's head was crowning and that Arthur had the situation quite under control, so she had simply stood aside and watched.

Molly who came through the door next, had immediately turned around and had Remus and Kingsley hold back for a minute. Upon hearing the baby cry, the three of them had entered as well, Remus rushing towards Tonks and the baby. After a quick word with Hestia, Kingsley had gone to Remus and Tonks' place to get all the necessities for clamping the cord and so on.

And now, an hour or so later, Molly was making them tea and apple pie, while everyone admired the baby.

"Such a handsome little fellow" said Kingsley, very gently stroking the baby's head. "And with so much blonde hair."

"Blonde?" Incredulously Remus looked up from studying his sons little feet. "I'd swear his hair was jet black a couple of minutes ago!? I was just thinking that he'd inherited Sirius' good looks…"

"His hair was jet black, and now it's blonde. In fact, it's turning red now, you see? He's a metamorphmagus." Tonks said with a smile. "My mother always said my hair started changing color within an hour after I was born."

"Wow." Remus said softly, staring mesmerized at the baby who now looked like it belonged to the Weasley family.

Little Teddy just yawned and nestled comfortably against Tonks' chest.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I could use something a bit stronger than tea to celebrate this eventful evening." Arthur stood to get a bottle of brandy and some glasses. "Remus, mate, there you go." He said, offering the new father a glass.

They all took a glass, except Tonks, due to the breastfeeding, and Remus held his in the air to propose a toast.

"To Teddy our beautiful son, may he grow to be a wonderful man. And to my incredibly strong wife, I'm so proud of you." Everyone muttered in agreement while Tonks wiped at her cheeks and Remus planted his arm firmly around her and the baby.

"But also to the man who stood by her side and safely delivered our child. I really can't thank you enough Arthur." Remus stood to shake his hand and then decided to hug the other man briefly.

"Well, it was nothing really, I didn't do any of the hard work, all credits go to Nymphadora." Arthur said, his ears a faint pink.

"But I couldn't have done it without you. You kept so calm, you kept _me_ calm, you-. You really pulled me through Arthur, thank you." Tonks remained seated with the baby but her eyes were full of gratitude.

"You're welcome my dear." Arthur said with a smile.

"To the new family" Kingsley said and they all drank in celebration.

* * *

Nearly there, just one (short) chapter to wrap things up.

Like it? Hate it? Comments? Please let me know!

love, Zimra.


	7. Chapter 7

And here is the last chapter. Not very long, just needed to ty some loose ends. Hope you liked it!

* * *

Chapter 7

It was another hour and couple of drinks later when Kingsley and Hestia bade their goodbyes, the latter promising to return in the morning to check on Teddy and Tonks.

Molly and Arthur went to make up a bed in a their spare room for Teddy, Remus and Tonks. Mother and child were not to be travelling by floo powder yet and Molly had also offered to help taking care of Teddy during the night, which Remus and Tonks had gratefully accepted.

Teddy had fallen asleep after nursing and Tonks felt her own eyelids become heavy as well. Her body felt sore and exhausted, like she had endured a full day of intensive auror-training. She longed for some sleep before she would be up to feed Teddy again in a couple of hours.

Next to her, she saw her husband practically bouncing from the pure joy of being a father. Adrenaline had driven his after-transformation-exhaustion away for the time being and Tonks could see he couldn't wait to tell the rest of their friends (or the whole world for that matter) about the birth of his son.

"Remus love, why don't you go and tell some friends about our good news? I'm sure Bill and Fleur would love to hear of our son and I know you want to share it with them."

"Are you sure? I can also stay with you and Teddy. I mean, I do want to tell everyone but I can wait. You and Teddy are the most important."

"I know, and that's sweet, but I really don't mind. Teddy is sleeping now and I really want to take a nap as well, but I can see that you are wide awake and you want to celebrate some more"

Remus grinned a bit sheepishly. "Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Really sure. Go on, Molly will help me to bed, I'll see you in a couple of hours."

"I won't be long. I love you both."

"We love you too."

After a kiss for both his wife and son, Remus was on his way to Shell Cottage, to share his joy with even more friends than expected.

Not long after, Teddy and Tonks had been installed in the spare room and Molly and Arthur were preparing themselves for bed.

"What a night, that was." Arthur yawned, having just finished brushing his teeth.

"You did so well, dear, I'm proud of you." Molly came wrapped her arms around her husband from behind.

"Thank you love. I'll have to admit that even though I looked calm from the outside, I found myself in a right pickle. But then again, I always felt the same when you were in labour."

"I know, but you've always supported me so well. Nymphadora couldn't have wished for someone better to help her through."

"Well, obviously in an ideal scenario Remus would have been there with her. I was just filling in."

Arthur turned around to look at his wife. "Speaking of Remus, why did you hold him back that short moment right before Teddy was born?"

"Well, I saw in an instant that the head was crowning and you two were both concentrating very hard on bringing that baby safely into the world. I know that's a moment where as a woman you need to focus on doing only that. I feared Remus coming in would break that concentration, that's why I held him back." Molly admitted.

"It feels truly magical, you know, to catch a baby straight out of the womb. It's so beautiful. I've always felt so privileged that I got to catch Ron and Ginny myself. Never imagined I would get to do that again." Arthur pondered.

"Well, you could consider a career change and become a midwife" Molly chuckled and planted a kiss on his cheek. "But first let's go to sleep."

* * *

The End.

I must say that this story wasn't as intense (to write and to read) as my previous one about Lily Potter's birth, but I'm nonetheless happy with how it turned out. And of course Arthur's last words here are actually my own: I love being a midwife and never cease to be amazed by the beauty of pregnancy and childbirth. That is a huge inspiration for me so I plan to write more stories, but it will probably take a while (not so much time between my midwife career and a toddler running around), so please bear with me :)

Love, Zimra


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